Conte vows to rotate Chelsea side for Qarabag test

Chelsea v Qarabag, Live Eir Sport 1, KO 7.45

Head coach Antonio Conte is poised to rotate his players when Chelsea make their Champions League return this evening.

The Premier League winners play their second of seven games in September when their Group C campaign opens against Azerbaijan's Qarabag.

Sunday's league clash with Arsenal follows before a midweek League Cup tie with Nottingham Forest for the Blues, who won the Premier League in Conte's first season as boss.

The calibre of domestic opposition means it is difficult to rest players and prioritise the Champions League, Conte says.

The Italian said: "You are never relaxed in England, because you have to play a tough league and also FA Cup and also Carabao Cup.

"Now we are starting to play the Champions League. To play 60, 65 games it's normal, but it's not easy.

"In my past sometimes before a Champions League game you rested. In England it's not easy to do this.

"When you make the decision (on selection) there is always the risk. The risk could be to play with the same players as against Leicester and then after the game 'why didn't you change the team that was tired?'

Realistic

"You know very well if you win you've made the best decision, if you lose you've made the worst decision.

"I must be realistic, I must be calm, to make the best decision for these seven games.

"It's normal when you have to play seven games in 21 days to rotate my players. I'm very calm about this because I trust my players."

Conte has Champions League pedigree as a player, reaching four finals, winning once. He took Juventus to the quarter-finals once as boss and they have thrived in the competition since he left to take charge of Italy.

He wants to make his mark with Chelsea, the 2012 European champions, but knows it will take time. "In the Champions League we are starting a path and it will be very important to start building something important," he added.

"To win a competition, you need to work very hard, to improve over years and to grow step by step and to arrive to be like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus are the same now.

"You don't create a big strong team easily."

Midfielder Danny Drinkwater (calf) is unavailable with the full extent of his injury sustained in training on Sunday still to be determined. Playmaker Eden Hazard is likely to continue as a substitute after only recently returning from a broken ankle.